Process of reducing ores



: Patented Feb. 7, 1933 UNITED STATES rnanmcx E. man, or s'r. LOUIS, mssoum 7 PROCESS OI REDUCING ORES Io Drawing.

This invention relates to a process for reducin ores, and with regard to certain more speci features, to a process for reducing oxide ores of iron.

' Among the several objects of the invention may be noted the provision of a process of the class described which employs, as a single homogeneous charge, a mixture of ore, reducing material, and flux; a process which is especially adaptable to low-grade ores and/or low-grade reduction materials; a process wherein the mixture for. reduction is prepared separately from the reduction process, and is ca able of indefinite storage; and a process of t e class described which is easily and economically carried through with a minimum of ex nsive treating materials. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combinations of elements, steps and sequence of steps and features of synthesis which will be exemplified inthe description hereinafter and the scope of the a plication of which will be indicated in t e ollowing claims.

Low-grade ores of iron, such as the soft red hematite ore, containing up to 17 r cent. of silica, have heretofore been consi ered impractical to reduce, because of the large quantities of fluxing materials, such as limeror dolomite, re uired.

It has furt er been found impracticable to utilize, as by coking, certain coals containing high percentages of alumina, which are ordinarily known as bone coals.

I have found that, in suitable proportions, this low-grade ,ore and this bone coal can be mixed to form efi'ective reduction mixtures. The carbonaceous constituents of the coal serve as a reduction :1 ent for the iron oxide in the ores, while the silica of the ores and the alumina of the coal form an effective slag.

terial is necessary to effect complete reducmixture. The plasticizing is preferably ac- Thus, no additional reducing or slagging ma- Application fled June 13, 1980. Serial no. 462,133.

used with beneficial results. The plastic mass, thoroughly homogenized, is then molded into shapes or briquettes. The briquettes are dried, andthe dried briquettes form the i charging stock for the reduction. 00

The first stage of the reduction comprises, slowly bringing the briquettes to a temperature of the order of 600 C. This first stage effects a destructive distillation or carbonization of the carbonaceous materialin. the o6 briquettes, with an attendant evolution of vapors of hydrocarbons, tars, tar acids; phenols, and other similar constituents.

hese vapors in artserve to reduce the oxide ores present. T e vapors are preferably collected and condensed in a manner customary in the art.

At, the conclusion of the distillation, when substantially no more vapors are being evolved, the briquette comprises partially 7 reduced oxide ores, coke particles, and aluminum silicate, allthoroughly intermixed. A reduction atmosphere is now maintained about the briquette, either by admitting a limited supply of air to the distillation retort, or by placing the distilled briquette in a @parate reduction furnace. Heatin is continued, and the temperature prefera ly rises above 700 C. The limited amount of air causes the. burning of the coke in the bri- 35 quettes to carbon monoxide, which, being formed in contact with the particles of oxide ore, exerts-a particularly effective reductionaction on these oxides. At the same time, the alumina. and silica are combining to form a more or less vitrified slag of aluminum silicate. The heating is continued until reduction is complete. Further heating, as in a blast furnace, to melt the metal and/0r completely melt-0r vitrify the slag, may be utilized if desired.

When the reduction is stopped before the melting of the metal and/or slag, the briquette is removed from the reductionzone and allowed to cool. The cooled briquette y in a porous condition, and aluminum silicate. The hriquette is crushed and the metal removed from the slag by methods such as magnetic separation or air or liquid 'fiotation. The metal so obtained may be so rate- -...ly melted or castin alloying or e like.

- An advantage of riquetting is that the charge may be placed in the distillation zone v or reduction zone in such a manner that the 2 f -the etermined amount for o 'timum reduction,

thereby avoiding the di culties attendant upon concentration of reduction material in one place, and a concentration of ore in an- ;other place, as is the case with loose charges.

The following is one specific example of.

process:

Low-grade hematite ore is ound to a fineness suflicient to pm throu a 100 mesh screen. Bone coal, containing approximately 70% carbonaceous constituents and clay-like matter, primarily alumina, is similarly ground. The dry ground ore and coal are then thoroughly mixed in the proportion of ore to coal. The dry mixture is their plasticized with sufiicient 'water in a pug mill or the like, and then formed into shapes or briquettes in a ceramic extrumon press or the like. The shapes or briquettes are then dried, as by passing through a drying oven on a conveyor belt. The dried briquettes may be stored indefinite- 1y, or may be utilized at once in the reduction For reduction, the briquettes are urged into a carbonizing retort, and the tem rature graduall brought to the order 0 700 C. The vo atile constituents which come ofi are refer-ably collected and con. When vo stile materials substantially cease to come oil, while heating is continued, air is admitted to the retort in limited quantitie%1so as to cause the consumptiofi of some of i ""coke. Heating is now' carried above 700 C. until aluminum silicate is .iormed'within the briquettes. The time at which aluminum silicate is formed is usuallj', established by separate experiments for various startcin materials. Thetformation of aluminum si icate in any case, is indicated by the greatly increased hardness of the briquette. The bri uettes are then allowed tocool, are crushe and the metallic iron removed in a magnetic separator from the remainder of the mam.

It is to be understood that other oxide ores than those of iron can be reduced by the recess herein disclosed. Such other oxides include those of copper, lead, zinc, nickel, cobalt, and the like.

In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results at- As many changes could be made in carrying out the above objects without departin from the scope of the invention, it is intends that all matter contained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim: a

1. The process of reducing lowrude oxide ores having a silica content whic comprises pulverizing said ores, mixing said pulverized ores with a pulverized carbonaceous reducing material having an alumina content, in such pro ortions that the alumina is suflicient, wi out the addition of extraneous material, to flux the silica resent, plasticizing the mixture, forming1 e plastic mixture into briquettes, and eating said briquettes to destructivel whereby it is formed into volatiles and coke, and further heating said briquettes whereby said oxide ores are reduced and said alumina and said silica constituents combine to form a slag.

2. The process of reducing ores which comprises mixing pulverized ores with pulverized distillable carbonaceous reducing material, said reducing material having therein fluxin constituents adapted to form a slag with t e impurities present in said ores, the mixture being made in such proportion that the impurities in the ores and fluxing constituents of the reducing materials are present in amounts sufiicient, without extraneous additions, to react with each other to remove sub stantially all of said impurities in the form of a slag, subjecting said mixture first to a destructive distillation and then to a reduction temperature whereby said reducing material reacts to reduce and ores and said slag is formed from the impurities of said ore, and separating said reduced ores from said sla 3. The process of reducing low-grade oxi e ores haying a silica content of the order of 17 per cent..which comprises pulverizing said ores, mixing said pulverized ores with a pulverized car ing an alumina content of the order of 30 per cent, the mixture being made in such propor tion that the silica and alumina are presentin amounts sufiicient, without extraneous additions, to react with each other substantially completely to use up both, and subjectin said mixture to heat treatment, whereby sai carbonaceous material reduces said ore and said silica and said alumina substantially cominterreact to form a slag.

he process of reducing 11011 ores havmg a hlg silica content which comprises comminuting said ores to a fineness of the order of 100 mesh, mixing therewith com minuted bone coal having a high alumina content in the approximate proportion of 40% ore and 60% coal, plasticizing said commidistill said carbonaceous material onaceous reducing materiel huv-' All nuted mixture with water, formin said plastic mixture into briquettes, and rying-said briquettes; subsequently subjecting said dried briquettes to a destructive distillation at tem- 5 peratures u? to about 700 0. whereby volatiles are evo ed which reduce said ore in part, heating said distilled briquettes in a limited stream of air at temperatures above the order of 700 C. whereby said ore is entirely reduced to metal and said silica combines with said alumina to form a slag, cooling said briquettes, crushing the cooled briquettes, and removing the metal from the slag.

In testimony whereof, I have si ed my 15 name to this specification this 13t day of June, 1930.

. FREDERICK E. KERN. 

